Lawrence E Rider

S/Sgt Lawrence E Rider, GUNNER. KIA 5 July, 1943

321stBG,447thBS, S/Sgt. Lawrence E Rider, Gunner/KIA 5 July, 1943

321stBG,447thBS, Lawrence E Rider, Gunner/KIA 5 July, 1943 (Click for personal story)
321stBG De-classified War Diary

S/Sgt Lawrence E Rider KIA July 5th 1943
447th BS: Extracts from Missing Air Crew Report # 71: Started over field at 1055.
Flew 84° for 193 miles to Bianco point at 37° 12 minutes N., 13° 40 minutes N. Started
letting down 5 miles from coast at 1115 and hit the deck at 1125. Started climb at 1146
and reached 10000 feet at 1202. Reached Bianco point at 1208 then at 68° 63 miles to
Catenanuova and 127° for 10 miles to target. Made bomb run at 9000 feet then left turn
and retraced course.
A/C No. 41-64657 (MACR-71 - shot down – direct hit)
P Shapiro, Leonard L. “Shap”, 1Lt - KIA - DED
CP Greenwood, Nathan H., 2Lt - KIA - DED
N None
B Schulze, George F., S/Sgt - KIA - DED
E None listed
R Waldrip, Robert L., T/Sgt - KIA - DED
G Rider, Lawrence E., S/Sgt - KIA - DED
F PFC Scrappy (Lt Shapiro’s “little dog”) - KIA - DED
*********************************************
KILLED IN ACTION on 05 July 1943 on Bombing Mission on the Gerbini Main Satellite #1. The Plane Took a Direct Hit by Enemy Flak, and Went Down in Flames, ALL 5 Crew Members Were Killed, As Well As Special Assistant, “PFC Scrappy”, The Pilot’s (Lt. Shapiro’s) Little Dog. All 5 Crew Members are Buried or Memorialized TOGETHER At Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA in Section E, Plot: 246 A/C No. 41-64657 (MACR-71 - shot down – direct hit)P->Shapiro, Leonard L. “Shap”, 1Lt-KIA CP-> Greenwood, Nathan H., 2Lt-KIA N-> NoneB-> Schulze, George F., S/Sgt-KIA E-> None listedR->Waldrip, Robert L., T/Sgt-KIA G->Rider, Lawrence E., S/Sgt- KIA F-> NoneSpecial Assistant-> PFC Scrappy (Lt Shapiro’s “little dog”)-KIA

Barbi Ennis Connolly, 321st Bomb Group Historian.

7 Feb.2013; From Find-a-Grave; ****This is my uncle. To many he was known as "Bus", short for Buster, to his Mom, he was Larry. I never met him, but my Dad would tell me stories about him. He was a fun loving guy and is missed by all.   - Gary Beaumont  (Nephew)

Gary, your Uncle BUS was loved and respected by his friends and Combat Crew. . . he was greatly missed.  A Hero in the truest sense, he was KIA on 5 July,'43 over Italy ... having flown from the 321st Bomb Group Base in North Africa. God Bless our brave men.  (Barbi)

(On a Personal note)

321st Bomb Group, 447th Bomb Squadron, S/Sgt Lawrence E Rider was a good friend of Walter Cantrell, they were "Great Pals" and spent off-time together. Lawrence always said "When I get HOME, I am Gonna' get me a Big Buick, take it to Chicago, mount a top-turret on it and be a GANGSTER !"
(as told to Barbi Ennis Connolly from Walter, 2007)

One beautiful blue BUICK, 1940's Roadmaster or .....  a Budweiser Truck???  ;)  Barbi

********  Lawrence was U.S. Army Air Force, 12th Air Force, 57th Bombardment Wing, 321st Bombardment Group, 447th Bombardment Squadron, aboard B-25 Mitchell Medium Bomber Aircraft, stationed in the MTO during WW II. 1Lt Shapiro was Killed In Action On 05 July 1943 on a Bombing Mission on the Gerbini Main Satellite #1. The Plane Took a Direct Hit by Enemy Flak, and was seen to crash into the base of a mountain, only feet from a large open meadow. ALL 5 Crew Members Were Killed, As Well As Special Assistant, "PFC Scrappy", The Pilot's (Lt. Shapiro's) Little Dog.
They are All Interred Together.

PRINCESSBARBI_B25@msn.com  321st Bomb Group Historian in the 57th Bomb Wing. 

321st Bomb Group Historical Researcher Team; John T "Butch" Fitzgerald, Patti Johnson and Barbi Ennis Connolly.